With Douglas Luiz having another good season for Aston Villa, it’s obvious we’ll see him being linked with a Manchester City move once again.
Despite signing the Brazilian in a €12m move from Vasco da Gama in 2017, Pep Guardiola’s side could never use the player due to the lack of a work permit.
When selling him to Aston Villa in 2019, they managed to include a buy-back clause, and that’s why there are always stories saying the midfielder could soon be back at the Etihad Stadium.
Douglas Luiz was interviewed by ESPN Brasil journalist João Castello Branco this week, and answered a few questions about his ties with Manchester City.
The first was whether he’s aware of the buy-back clause and if it really exists, so the 22-year-old confirmed it, despite claiming he’s not concerned about it.
“In fact, I am aware of the repurchase,” Douglas Luiz told ESPN Brasil.
“I try to do my job on the pitch, that’s the truth. The things people stay on the outside, I try not to focus on that, because it can hinder me on the pitch. These things I have to leave to my family, to my agents. And they are off the field to play that role. I play my part on the pitch.”
Douglas Luiz also explained how things went when he joined Manchester City, and claimed that it was always Pep Guardiola’s wish to keep him at the club.
“In fact, as soon as I left Vasco, I already knew about the Manchester City project. That’s why I ended up accepting it. I knew that in the first year, I’d go on loan to Spain to play for Girona. At Girona I didn’t have such a good year, so to speak. I had just left Brazilian football, I went to the Spanish league, I ended up not adapting so well, the first year I didn’t play.”
“In the following year, I did the pre-season with City and it was very good, I ended up impressing Pep Guardiola, and he did everything he could for me to stay, but there was a visa problem.
“I won’t be blaming one or the other. When it’s to happen, it happens, if it didn’t happen, it’s because it wasn’t the right time.”
